Locking mechanism for inclination adjustment of a blade of a cutting device

ABSTRACT

A cutting device includes a base, a swivel seat rotatably mounted on the base and having a first end and a second end, and a blade holder releasably engaged with the second end of the swivel seat. A blade is rotatably held by the blade holder. The blade holder is pivotable relative to the swivel seat for cutting when the blade holder is engaged with the second end of the swivel seat. An inclination of the blade relative to the swivel seat is adjustable when the blade holder is disengaged from the second end of the swivel seat. An operative rod is mounted to the first end of the swivel seat and operably connected to the blade holder for controlling releasable engagement between the blade holder and the swivel seat.

This is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,977, issued Dec. 9,2003.

Notice: More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissueof U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,977. The reissue applications are: U.S. Reissueapplication Ser. No. 12/547,142, filed Aug. 25, 2009, which is adivisional of U.S. Reissue application Ser. No. 11/297,820, filed Dec.9, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for inclinationadjustment of a blade of a cutting device.

2. Description of the Related Art

A typical cutting device comprises a base and a blade holder. Whenadjustment in an inclination of the cutting plane of the blade relativeto a horizontal plane is required, an adjusting member located on a rearside of the base is operated to provide a gap between the blade holderand the base, thereby allowing adjustment in the inclination angle (ortilt angle) of the blade holder. Nevertheless, during such anadjustment, the operator's hand is close to and thus might be injured bythe blade.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide alocking mechanism for inclination adjustment of a blade of a cuttingdevice, wherein the inclination (or tilt angle) of the blade (i.e., theangle between the cutting plane and a horizontal plane) can be adjustedby operating an operative end of the locking mechanism that is locatedin front of the base, thereby eliminating potential injury to theoperator. In particular, the locking mechanism comprises an operativerod for controlling engagement between the swivel seat and the bladeholder. Thus, the blade holder together with the blade can be pivoted toa desired inclination when the swivel seat and the blade holder aredisengaged from each other. The operative end for moving the operativerod is located in front of the swivel seat, thereby avoiding potentialinjury to the operator.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a cutting devicecomprises a base having a first end and a second end opposite to thefirst end. A blade holder is releasably engaged with the second end ofthe base and rotatably holds a blade. The blade holder is pivotablerelative to the base for cutting when the blade holder is engaged withthe second end of the base. An inclination of the blade relative to thebase is adjustable when the blade holder is disengaged from the secondend of the base. An operative rod is mounted to the first end of thebase and operably connected to the blade holder for controllingreleasable engagement between the blade holder and the base.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, a cutting devicecomprises a base, a swivel seat rotatably mounted on the base and havinga first end and a second end, and a blade holder releasably engaged withthe second end of the swivel seat. A blade is rotatably held by theblade holder. The blade holder is pivotable relative to the swivel seatfor cutting when the blade holder is engaged with the second end of theswivel seat. An inclination of the blade relative to the swivel seat isadjustable when the blade holder is disengaged from the second end ofthe swivel seat. An operative rod is mounted to the first end of theswivel seat and operably connected to the blade holder for controllingreleasable engagement between the blade holder and the swivel seat.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention willbecome more apparent from the following detailed description when takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting device in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cutting device inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along plane 3—3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along plane 4—4 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating inclination adjustmentof a cutting plane of the cutting device.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating a modifiedembodiment of the cutting device in accordance with the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a cutting device 10 in accordance withthe present invention generally includes a swivel seat 20 mounted on abase 11 and rotatable relative to the base 11 about a vertical axisorthogonal in the base 11. A blade holder 30 is pivotally mounted via alocking member 40 to a rear end of the swivel seat 20 for proceedingwith a cutting function by a blade 31 rotably held by the blade holder30, which will be described in detail later. The base 11 comprises anarc 12 on which a scale 13 is provided. Plural positioning notches 14spaced hy regular intervals are defined in an underside of the arc 12.

The swivel seat 20 comprises a cutting groove 21 (FIG. 2) through whichthe blade 31 is movable for cutting purpose. The rear end of the swivelseat 20 provides an engaging section 23 comprising a screw hole 231 anda hole 232. Formed on the front end of the swivel seat 20 is a mountingsection 22. The mounting section 22 comprises a first longitudinal hole221 and a second longitudinal hole 222 that extend along a directionparallel to a cutting plane of the blade 31. The mounting section 22further comprises a window 223 having a pointer 24 received therein forreading the scale 13. The mounting section 22 further comprises a wall224 delimiting a compartment 225 in the mounting section 22.

The locking member 40 is releasably engaged with the engaging section 23of the swivel seat 20. The blade holder 30 is engaged with the lockingmember 40 and pivotable about a pivotal axis 46 (FIG. 1) for cutting bymeans of operating a handle 32 on the blade holder 30. It is noted thatthe locking member 40 is movable between a locking position and anunlocking position. In the locking position, the locking member 40presses against the engaging section 23 of the swivel sear 20 and isthus fixed in place. The locking member 40 and the blade holder 30cannot rotate about an engaging member 43 defining a pivotal axis 48(FIG. 3) of the locking member 40 parallel to the first longitudinalhole 221 of the swivel seat 20; namely, adjustment of the inclination ofthe blade 31 is not allowed. But the blade holder 30 can be pivotedrelative to the locking member 40 about the axis 46. In the unlockingposition, the locking member 40 is disengaged from the engaging section23 of the swivel seat 20 and thus rotatable, thereby allowing adjustmentin the inclination of the blade 31 by means of turning the lockingmember 40 and the blade holder 30 about the pivotal axis 48 of thelocking member 40.

A hole 41 is defined in a side of the locking member 40 that faces theengaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20. The engaging member 43comprises a first threaded end 431 threadedly engaged in the screw bole231 of the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20, a second threadedend 432, and an intermediate section 433 slidably and rotatably receivedin the hole 41 of the locking member 40. A nut 44 is engaged on thesecond threaded end 432 to prevent disengagement of the locking member40. Thus, the locking member 40 is slidable and rotatable relative tothe engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20 in the unlocking position,which will be further described later.

A positioning device 50 is provided to position the swivel seat 20. Thepositioning device 50 comprises a resilient positioning plate 51 and areinforcing plate 52. The positioning plate 51 comprises two holes 53 ina first end thereof, two wings 54 extending upright from a second endthereof, and a protrusion 55 on an intermediate portion thereof. Twobolts 57 are respectively extended through two holes 56 in thereinforcing plate 52 and the holes 53 in the positioning plate 51 andthen threadedly engaged in two screw holes 25 in an underside of theswivel seat 20. The positioning plate 51 is thus positioned below themounting section 22 of the swivel seat 20 with the protrusion 55engaging with one of the positioning notches 14 of the base 11 forpreventing rotational movement of the swivel seat 20 relative to thebase 11.

A locking mechanism 60 is used to control engagement between the lockingmember 40 and the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20. In thisembodiment, the locking mechanism 60 comprises an operative member 61,an actuating rod 62, and an operative rod 63. The operative rod 63comprises a first end 636 received in the first longitudinal hole 221 ofthe mounting section 22 and a second end 635 extending beyond thelocking member 40 after passing through the hole 232 in the engagingsection 23 of the swivel seat 20 and a hole 49 in the locking member 40.A nut 631 is securely mounted in the engaging section 23 of the swivelseat 20 and threadedly engaged with a threaded section 638 of theoperative rod 63. Thus, the operative rod 63 moves along a longitudinalaxis thereof when it is turned.

A pressing cap 634 is mounted to the second end 635 of the operative rod63, and a pin 632 is extended through a transverse hole 637 in thepressing cap 634 and a transverse pinhole 633 in the second end 635 ofthe operative rod 63. By such an arrangement, the pressing cap 634 andthe operative rod 63 move longitudinally away from the locking member 40when the operative rod 63 is turned in a direction, e.g., clockwise,such that the locking member 40 is no longer pressed against by thepressing cap 634. As a result, the locking member 40 is no longer infrictional contact with the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20.Pivotal movement of the locking member 40 is limited between two spacedblocks 42 on an inner periphery of the locking member 40.

To the contrary, when the operative rod 63 is turned in an oppositedirection, e.g., counterclockwise, the locking member 40 will be movedtoward the engaging section 23 by the pressing cap 634 and finallypresses against the engaging section 23 for preventing rotation of thelocking member 40. Namely, the locking member 40 is in frictionalcontact with the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20 when in thelocking position. Thus, the locking member 40 can be disengaged from orengaged with the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20 by means ofturning the operative rod 63. When the locking member 40 is in theunlocking position, the operator may grasp the handle 32 on the bladeholder 30 and pivot the blade holder 30 and the locking member 40 aboutthe pivotal axis 48 of the locking member 40 to the desired inclination.The sliding and rotating contact between the intermediate portion 433 ofthe engaging member 43 and the locking member 40 allows such adjustment.After adjustment in the inclination (or tilt angle) of the blade 31, theoperative rod 63 is turned in the opposite direction. The operative rod63 can be turned by means of operating the operative member 61.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the operative member 61 comprises acompartment 611 in an end thereof, a wall defining the compartment 611including a positioning groove 612. The other end 613 of the operativemember 61 extends into the compartment 225 of the mounting section 22 ofthe swivel seat 20. It is noted that a hole 615 is defined in the otherend 613 of the operative member 61 and has a first end communicated withthe positioning groove 612 of the operative member 61 and a second endcommunicated with the compartment 225 of the mounting section 22 of theswivel seat 20. The other end 613 of the operative member 61 extendsthrough a lining member or sleeve 64 located in the second longitudinalhole 222 of the mounting section 22 of the swivel seat 20. A drive gear65 is mounted on the other end 613 of the operative member 61 by meansof force-fitting engagement with two chamfered faces 614 of the outerend 613 of the operative member 61, and a C-clip 616 is provided tosecurely retain the drive gear 65 on the other end 613 of the operativemember 61.

The actuating rod 62 extends through the hole 615 of the operativemember 61 and comprises a first end 624 in the compartment 611 of theoperative member 61 and a threaded second end 625 threadedly engagedwith an inner threading (not labeled) of the sleeve 619, which, in turn,is securely located in a hole 226 in the wall 224 of the swivel seat 20by a C-clip (not labeled). A positioning pin 622 is extended through atransverse pinhole 621 in the first end 624 of the actuating rod 62 andreleasably engaged in the positioning groove 612 of the operative member61. A pressing member 66 is partially engaged in a screw hole 623defined in an end face of the second end 625 of the actuating rod 62. Aspring 618 is mounted around the actuating rod 62 and attached betweentwo sleeves 617 that are mounted around the actuating rod 62. It isnoted that the drive gear 65 on the actuating rod 62 is disengaged froma driven gear 67 securely mounted on the operative rod 63 whenadjustment in the inclination is not required.

Referring to FIG. 3, when adjusting angular position of the swivel seat20, the operative member 61 is turned in a direction, which, in turn,causes rotation of the actuating rod 62 in the same direction, as thepositioning pin 622 of the actuating rod 62 is positioned in thepositioning groove 612 of the operative member 61. The pressing member66 on the actuating rod 62 that initially presses against an outerperipheral wall of the arc 12 of the base 11 is now disengaged from theperipheral wall of the arc 12. Referring to FIG. 4, the operator thenpushes the wings 54 downward to disengage the protrusion 55 of thepositioning plate 51 from the positioning notch 14 of the base 11. Atthis time, the swivel seat 20 is rotatable relative to the base 11 foradjustment in the angular position of the swivel seat 20 relative to thebase 11. After adjustment, the wings 54 of the positioning plate 51 arereleased, the protrusion 55 of the positioning plate 51 returns to itsinitial position under the action of resiliency of the positioning plate51 and thus engages with an associated one of the positioning notches 14of the base 11. Then, the operative member 61 is turned in an oppositedirection, which, in turn, causes rotation of the actuating rod 62 untilthe pressing member 66 presses against the outer peripheral wall of thearc 12 of the base 11, thereby assisting in positioning between theswivel seat 20 and the base 11. The angular position of the swivel seat20 is indicated by the pointer 24 and the scale 13, which can be readvia the window 223.

Referring to FIG. 5, when adjusting the inclination of the blade 31, theoperative member 61 is pushed inward until the drive gear 65 meshes withthe driven gear 67. The positioning pin 622 of the actuating rod 62 isno longer positioned in the positioning groove 612 of the operativemember 61. Next, the operative member 61 is turned to drive theoperative rod 63 in a direction, e.g., clockwise. The locking member 40is no longer pressed against the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat20 to thereby allow adjustment in inclination of the blade 31 by meansof moving the handle 32 of the blade holder 30, as mentioned above.Next, the operative member 61 is turned in on opposite direction to turnthe operative rod 63 counterclockwise, thereby urging the pressing cap634 to press the locking member 40 against the engaging section 23 ofthe swivel seat 20, as mentioned above. After adjustment, the operativerod 63 is returned to its initial position under the action of thespring 618. The operative rod 63 will not be turned even if theoperative member 61 is rotated, as the drive gear 65 disengages from thedriven gear 67.

FIG. 6 illustrates a modified embodiment of the invention, wherein thereturn spring 618 and corresponding elements are omitted. In addition,the drive gear 65 and the driven gear 67 are also omitted. Namely, theoperative rod 63 and the operative member 61 are independent from eachother. Further, a turning member 639 (e.g., a nut) is mounted on theexposed first end of the operative rod 63 that is distal to the lockingmember 40 and the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20. The turningmember 639 allows rotational operation of the operative rod 63 forcontrolling engagement between the locking member 40 and the engagingsection 23 of the swivel seat 20.

According to the above description, it is appreciated that adjustment inthe inclination of the blade 31 and the angular position of the swivelseat 20 can be achieved easily without the risk of injury to theoperator, as the operative end for the operative member 61 and theoperative end for the operative rod 63 are distal to the locking member40 and the engaging section 23 of the swivel seat 20.

When adjustment in the angular position of the swivel seat 20 is notrequired, the swivel seat 20 may be integral with the base 11. At thistime, the locking member 40 and the blade holder 30 are directlyassociated with the base 11.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that many other possiblemodifications and variations can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

1. A cutting device comprising: a base; a swivel seat rotatably mountedon the base and having a first end and a second end; a blade holderreleasably engaged with the second end of the swivel seat, with theblade holder adapted to rotatably hold a blade, with the blade holderbeing pivotable about a first axis relative to the swivel seat forcutting when the blade holder is engaged with the second end of theswivel seat, with the blade holder being pivotable about a second axisrelative to the swivel seat for adjusting an inclination of the bladeholder relative to the swivel seat, with the first axis beingperpendicular to the second axis; an operative rod rotatably mounted tothe first end of the swivel seat, the operative rod being operablyconnected to the blade holder for controlling releasable engagementbetween the blade holder and the swivel seat by the rotation of theoperative rod to allow adjustment of the inclination of the bladeholder; and means for controlling releasable engagement between theswivel seat and the base, wherein said means for controlling releasableengagement between the swivel seat and the base comprises a resilientpositioning plate including a first end secured to the swivel seat and asecond end for manual operation, the resilient positioning plate furthercomprising a protrusion, the base comprising a plurality of positioningnotches, the protrusion of the resilient positioning plate beingreleasably engaged with one of the positioning notches of the base. 2.The cutting device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising anactuating rod mounted to the first end of the swivel seat, the actuatingrod comprising a first end outside the first end of the swivel seat foroperation and a second end, the actuating rod and the first end of theswivel seat being so arranged that the actuating rod moves along alongitudinal direction thereof between a locking position and anunlocking position, the second end of the actuating rod pressing againstthe base to thereby prevent relative rotation between the base and theswivel seat when the actuating rod is in the locking position, thesecond end of the actuating rod being disengaged from the base when theactuating rod is in the unlocking position.
 3. The cutting device asclaimed in claim 2, wherein the actuating rod comprises a threadedsection, the swivel seat comprising a nut securely mounted therein, thenut being threadedly engaged with the threaded section of the actuatingrod.
 4. The cutting device as claimed in claim 2, further comprising Acutting device comprising: a base; a swivel seat rotatably mounted onthe base and having a first end and a second end; a blade holderreleasably engaged with the second end of the swivel seat, with theblade holder adapted to rotatably hold a blade, with the blade holderbeing pivotable about a first axis relative to the swivel seat forcutting when the blade holder is engaged with the second end of theswivel seat, with the blade holder being pivotable about a second axisrelative to the swivel seat for adjusting an inclination of the bladeholder relative to the swivel seat, with the first axis beingperpendicular to the second axis; an operative rod rotatably mounted tothe first end of the swivel seat, the operative rod being operablyconnected to the blade holder for controlling releasable engagementbetween the blade holder and the swivel seat by the rotation of theoperative rod to allow adjustment of the inclination of the bladeholder; means for controlling releasable engagement between the swivelseat and the base, wherein said means for controlling releasableengagement between the swivel seat and the base comprises a resilientpositioning plate including a first end secured to the swivel seat and asecond end for manual operation, the resilient positioning plate furthercomprising a protrusion, the base comprising a plurality of positioningnotches, the protrusion of the resilient positioning plate beingreleasably engaged with one of the positioning notches of the base; anactuating rod mounted to the first end of the swivel seat, the actuatingrod comprising a first end outside the first end of the swivel seat foroperation and a second end, the actuating rod and the first end of theswivel seat being so arranged that the actuating rod moves along alongitudinal direction thereof between a locking position and anunlocking position, the second end of the actuating rod pressing againstthe base to thereby prevent relative rotation between the base and theswivel seat when the actuating rod is in the locking position, thesecond end of the actuating rod being disengaged from the base when theactuating rod is in the unlocking position; and an operative membermounted to the first end of the actuating rod and slidable along theactuating rod between an engaging position and a disengaging position,the operative member comprising a drive gear securely mounted thereon torotate therewith, the operative rod comprising a driven gear securelymounted thereon to rotate therewith, the drive gear meshing with thedriven gear when the operative member is in the engaging position, thedrive gear being disengaged from the driven gear when the operativemember is in the disengaging position.
 5. The cuffing cutting device asclaimed in claim 2 4, wherein the operative member comprises acompartment in a first end thereof, a wall defining the compartmentincluding a positioning groove, the operative member further comprisinga hole in a second end thereof, the hole being communicated with thepositioning groove, a positioning pin being securely mounted to thefirst end of the actuating rod, the actuating rod extending through thehole of the operative member with the first end of the actuating rodlocated in the compartment, the positioning pin being positioned in thepositioning groove of the operative member when the operative member isin the disengaging position, the positioning pin being disengaged fromthe positioning groove of the operative member when the operative memberis in the engaging position.
 6. The cutting device as claimed in claim5, wherein the actuating rod is moved between the locking position andthe unlocking position when the operative member is in the disengagingposition and when the first end of the operative member is turned. 7.The cutting device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the actuating rodcomprises a threaded section, the swivel seat comprising a wall having ahole, a nut being securely mounted in the hole of the wall of the swivelseat, the nut being threadedly engaged with the threaded section of theactuating rod.
 8. The cutting device as claimed in claim 7, furthercomprising means for returning the operative member from the engagingposition to the disengaging position.
 9. The cutting device as claimedin claim 8, wherein said returning means comprises an elastic elementattached between the nut and the second end of the operative member. 10.A cutting device comprising: a base; a swivel seat rotatably mounted onthe base and having a first end and a second end; a blade holderreleasably engaged with the second end of the swivel seat, with theblade bolder adapted to rotatably hold a blade, with the blade holderbeing pivotable about a first axis relative to the swivel seat forcutting when the blade holder is engaged with the second end of theswivel seat, with the blade holder being pivotable about a second axisrelative to the swivel seat for adjusting an inclination of the bladeholder relative to the swivel seat, with the first axis beingperpendicular to the second axis; and an operative rod rotatably mountedto the first end of the swivel seat, the operative rod being operablyconnected to the blade holder for controlling releasable engagementbetween the blade holder and the swivel seat by the rotation of theoperative rod to allow adjustment of the inclination of the bladeholder, with the blade holder being pivotably mounted to the swivel seatby a locking member, wherein the operative rod extends from the firstend of the swivel seat through the second end of the swivel seat andthrough the locking member, the operative rod comprising a first end anda second end that is outside the second end of the swivel seat, apressing member being securely mounted to the second end of theoperative rod to move therewith; the operative rod and the swivel seatbeing so arranged that rotation of the operative rod causes longitudinalmovement of the operative rod and the pressing member along alongitudinal axis of the operative rod; wherein the pressing member ismoved to a first position pressing the locking member against the secondend of the swivel seat when the operative rod is turned in a firstdirection, thereby preventing adjustment in the inclination angle of theblade; and wherein the pressing member is moved to a second position notpressing the locking member against the second end of the swivel seatwhen the operative rod is turned in a second direction opposite to thefirst direction, thereby allowing rotational movement of the lockingmember and the blade holder relative to the swivel seat for proceedingwith adjustment in the inclination angle of the blade.
 11. The cuttingdevice as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first end of the operativerod is outside the first end of the swivel seat, with the cutting devicefurther comprising a turning member mounted to the first end of theoperative rod for turning the operative rod.
 12. The cutting device asclaimed in claim 10, wherein the operative rod comprises a threadedsection, the swivel seat comprising a nut securely mounted therein, thenut being threadedly engaged with the threaded section of the operativerod.
 13. The cutting device as claimed in claim 10, further comprisingan engaging member having a first end securely mounted to the second endof the swivel seat, an intermediate section, and a second end, thelocking member being rotatably mounted around the intermediate sectionof the engaging member and slidable along a longitudinal direction ofthe engaging member when the pressing member is in the second position.14. The cutting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second end ofthe swivel seat comprises a screw hole and the first end of the engagingmember comprises an outer threading for engaging with the screw hole.15. The cutting device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the second end ofthe engaging member comprises an outer threading, with the cuttingdevice further comprising a nut engaged with the outer threading of thesecond end of the engaging member for preventing disengagement of thelocking member from the engaging member.